DOD not ready for total cloud migration, CIO says

“If we move to a cloud environment with today’s technology, it would make the world worse, not better…from an enterprise perspective [and] from a security perspective. We’re still at stage one. How do we make sure we’re doing it in a way that’s secure? We have to remember that cloud services have to fit into overall services,” she said.

Takai also said a wholesale DOD move to cloud computing would require better organization and strategy, since the department’s volumes of data spread throughout different places could prove difficult to find and access in a cloud environment.

Instead, she said the broader DOD could take advantage of some cloud technologies by taking a cue from the aggressive plans of the individual services to implement their own data center consolidation strategies.

In another area, Takai said she remains focused on meeting the needs of deployed forces.

“It’s easy to get caught up with the things we do at the Pentagon, in the defense community…we get caught up in the day-to-day,” she said, speaking at a briefing sponsored by Input. “Long-term planning is essential, but at the same time we have to be focused on the individuals on the ground and giving them what they need.”

Takai also highlighted the need to understand and defend against the growing cyber threat.